Blue Jays plan to remove Anthony Santander on their ALCS roster, according to Mitch Bannon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Head coach John Schneider told reporters (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet) that Santander is dealing with back stiffness. The move is still awaiting approval from MLB and has yet to be officially announced by the team or league.
Teams determine their playoff rosters at the beginning of each series. They could only make changes mid-series due to injuries. This requires Major League Baseball (MLB) to sign off to prevent teams from manipulating the system by faking injuries. There is no reason to doubt the league will approve the change, which will officially end Santander’s season. A player who was eliminated midway through a series was ineligible to play in the next series if his team advanced, so if the Jaybirds came back to beat the Mariners, Santander would not be in the World Series.
Injuries essentially ruined Santander’s first season in Toronto. He missed time from late May to mid-September with a left shoulder problem. He didn’t return until the final week of the regular season. Santander has played in five of the Jayhawks’ seven playoff games. He missed the second game of the ALCS due to lower back soreness. Santander returned to the lineup for game three but was replaced by Miles Straw Served as a defensive substitute in the fifth inning. He finished his postseason with a 3-15 record and two runs scored.
The Jayhawks fielded the same No. 13 in both the Division Series and ALCS. Joey Lopez Fido Despite slashing .333/.379/.500 in 41 games during the regular season, he was inactive in both series. He is the most likely candidate to replace Santander on the left-handed bench. Beau Bichette and Ty France Injured and not ready for the start of the series. Leo Jimenez Ended season on 3A injured list, left Jonathan Klass (who played the entire second half in Triple-A) is the only healthy position player on the 40-man roster.
There will be more to come.
